S.F. Giants hire first female full-time coach in MLB history By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 01.30.20 Word Count 657 Level 870L Image 1. Alyssa Nakken, pictured here with the Sacramento State University Hornets softball team, will be the first full-time female coach in Major League Baseball. She's with the San Francisco Giants. Photo: Bob Solorio/Sacramento State Athletics The San Francisco Giants said on January 16 that they have hired the first full-time female coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. Her name is Alyssa Nakken. She was a former standout softball player at Sacramento State University. Her task will be "helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse," according to Giants Manager Gabe Kapler. Nakken has worked with the Giants since 2014 when she began as an intern. An intern is a person who is training at a job in order to gain experience. Recently, she has overseen health and wellness programs for the team. She played first base for Sacramento State from 2009 through 2012. She earned many awards during her time at school. She won the Academic All-American award four times and was the 2012 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Another coach was also added to the Giants on January 16. His name is Mark Hallberg. He was teammates with Buster Posey, who is the catcher for the Giants. They were teammates at Florida This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. State. He spent the past two years developing players for the club. Now, there are a total of 13 coaches for the Giants. Winning Culture In Clubhouse "Alyssa and Mark are highly respected members of the organization and I'm delighted that they will now focus their talents on helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse," Kapler said. He went on to say that Mark and Alyssa will work to foster a culture that focuses on great playing and a deep sense of teamwork. Nakken is among a handful of women who have earned opportunities in MLB teams' operations. Other women include Justine Siegal. Siegal became the first woman to throw batting practice for an MLB team in 2011. She was given a two-week job in 2015 by the Oakland A's. She served as a guest instructor for their instructional league team. Jessica Mendoza is an analyst for the sports channel ESPN. An analyst examines and reviews data about a particular subject. She was hired by the New York Mets in March 2019. Minor League Coaches Veronica Alvarez worked last spring with the A's minor league team. She worked with catchers. Rachel Folden became the Chicago Cubs' lead hitting lab tech in 2019. She is also the fourth coach for their Rookie League team. Rachel Balkovec became a minor league hitting coach for the New York Yankees in 2019. She previously worked as a fitness coach for two other MLB teams. Before joining the Giants, Nakken worked for the University of San Francisco baseball team. She was its chief information officer. In 2015, she earned a Master's Degree in Sport Management from the university. For the Giants, she will help with outfield work before games. She may also serve as a batting practice pitcher during the season. She is not expected to be in uniform in the Giants' dugout during games. This is because the MLB only allows teams to have seven coaches on the bench during games. Nakken will wear a uniform before games. She will also travel full-time with the team, according to Kapler. Merit And Skills Most Important Things "Simply, I think she's going to be a great coach," he said. He added that her merit and skills are the most important things. "I'm still getting goose bumps," Kathy Strahan told a San Francisco newspaper. She was Nakken's coach at Sacramento State. "I always knew she'd do something great, I really did, but didn't know what because she could do so many things. I think she'll bring a lot to the organization." This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Strahan believes that, as a woman, Nakken will help broaden the view in the MLB. She said Nakken is intelligent and determined to succeed. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz 1 Read the section "Minor League Coaches." Which selection from the section shows Nakken's role with the Giants? (A) Rachel Balkovec became a minor league hitting coach for the New York Yankees in 2019. (B) Before joining the Giants, Nakken worked for the University of San Francisco baseball team. She was its chief information officer. (C) For the Giants, she will help with outfield work before games. She may also serve as a batting practice pitcher during the season. (D) Nakken will wear a uniform before games. She will also travel full-time with the team, according to Kapler. 2 Read the section "Winning Culture In The Clubhouse." Which sentence from this section supports the conclusion that few women coach for MLB teams? (A) "Alyssa and Mark are highly respected members of the organization and I'm delighted that they will now focus their talents on helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse," Kapler said. (B) He went on to say that Mark and Alyssa will work to foster a culture that focuses on great playing and a deep sense of teamwork. (C) Nakken is among a handful of women who have earned opportunities in MLB teams' operations. (D) Siegal became the first woman to throw batting practice for an MLB team in 2011. 3 Why did Kathy Strahan feel excited after the Giants hired Nakken? (A) She was motivated to apply for other jobs that are traditionally done by males. (B) She was eager to see more of her former players hired to work for the MLB. (C) She was pleased that the MLB was finally hiring a female in a full-time position. (D) She was proud to see one of her smart and motivated former players succeed. 4 What is the relationship between Nakken and Hallberg? (A) They were both recently hired to work as interns for the Giants. (B) They will both work on improving the play and teamwork of the Giants. (C) They both will travel with the Giants but will not be able to sit in the dugout. (D) They both played at Sacramento State but at different times. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com..